Omar's Make ICE Pay Act Would Block $140 Billion in Enforcement Funds
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was set to introduce the Make ICE Pay Act on Thursday, September 17, 2026, legislation that would block nearly $140 billion previously set aside for immigration enforcement The Guardian.
The bill would stop payment of funds for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency that handles immigration arrests inside the country, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency that handles borders and ports. The money was approved earlier under Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill." The proposal describes that funding as paying for the current enforcement surge and would cancel its use by those two agencies.
Instead, the funds would go to states, local governments, nonprofit groups and small businesses affected by immigration crackdowns. The plan works like repayment. It treats enforcement operations as imposing direct costs on towns and businesses, then returns federal dollars to those groups.
The grants would be paid over three years through the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). That watchdog office normally reviews housing spending, not immigration spending, so the job would sit outside the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and CBP.
The bill names the operations covered. They are Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois, Operations Swamp Sweet and Catahoula Crunch in Louisiana, Operation Catch of the Day in Maine, Operation Charlotte's Web in North Carolina and Operation Black Rose in Oregon. To qualify, a claimant would need to show harm tied to one of those crackdowns.
Minnesota is the main example given for the bill. Omar said Operation Metro Surge cost the Minneapolis community nearly $700 million. Starting last December, thousands of federal immigration agents entered Minneapolis and surrounding areas, with nearly 4,000 arrests in total The Guardian.
Two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot during that Minneapolis operation. Those deaths increased congressional scrutiny of tactics, use of force and coordination with local authorities. Omar has previously pushed for limits on enforcement funding and operations. She spoke on the House floor for abolishing ICE and ending what she called the federal occupation of Minnesota, and she opposed adding $70 billion for ICE and Border Patrol.
The broader context here is a dispute over money Congress already approved. Congress can cancel or restrict earlier funding, but that needs majority support and, in practice, Senate agreement plus presidential approval or enough votes to override a veto. A bid to remove multiyear enforcement funds and reuse them as local aid tests that process.
Looking at what this means for oversight, the HUD watchdog setup will draw attention. Housing the three-year grant program with an inspector general points to strict audits and checks on who qualifies. It also raises questions appropriators will study, including approval authority, transfer rules and the definition of affected parties.
Looking ahead, the proposal is an introduction, not law. Its near-term purpose is to offer a formal path for redirecting enforcement dollars and to force debate over who bears the costs of large operations.
